Cameron Falls

The Cameron River drops about seventeen metres over Precambrian Shield rock here, and the walk in is about a kilometre and a half each way over granite outcrop, boardwalk and stairs through jack pine and birch. It is the most-walked trail in the Yellowknife area, easy enough for families and short enough to fit an evening in the long northern summer daylight. A viewing platform sits at the lip and a route drops to the pool below, where people swim in the brief warm weeks. In winter the falls freeze into a column and are visited on snowshoes, with the aurora often overhead.

What you actually see

• The seventeen-metre drop - a Shield waterfall over Precambrian rock.
• The bedrock walk - a short trail over granite, boardwalk and stairs.
• The pool below - a swimming spot in the short northern summer.
• The frozen falls - an ice column in winter, reached by snowshoe.

When to go

June to September for the walk and swimming; spring melt gives the strongest flow. Winter turns it to ice and adds aurora overhead, but the trail is unmaintained then.

Honest expectations

The trail has rock scrambles and stairs despite being short. Blackflies and mosquitoes in June and July are severe. Winter access needs snowshoes and proper clothing.

Nearby

Yellowknife lies west; the Ingraham Trail continues east.